Ambassador Stevens' death could have been avoided [Letter]

As the details of the Benghazi catastrophe continue to unravel, it is so sad because in retrospect the deaths of Ambassador Chris Stevens and his three cohorts could have been avoided.

It has been interesting to discover through some research that Ambassador Stevens completely understood the importance of a special forces team to aid in the security of his embassy personnel. He believed that by explaining his concerns, the Defense Department would postpone the decision so he could have time to work with the Libyan government and get diplomatic immunity for the special forces.

According to the National Defense Authorization Act, the Defense Department needed Ambassador Stevens' concurrence to change the special forces mission. However, the Defense Department had to settle other transportation problems in the Tripoli area so they went ahead and at the same time reduced the number of security personnel in Benghazi and all of Libya.

Unfortunately, the officials at the State and Defense departments in Washington were the ones who made these decisions, ignoring the responsibilities and recommendations of Ambassador Stevens, which eventually cost him and his staff members their lives via terrorist forces including al-Qaida.

Sad indeed! And unfortunately the officials in Washington D.C. must accept the responsibilities for this catastrophe.